Fale Tusi o Polenisia

Mana (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 3, 4 August 1977, Page 6

Fale Tusi o Polenisia

O le susuga a Robert Holding ma lona faletua o Sheena o ni Ausetalia, ma o i la'ua ia e ona ma pulea le Fale Tusi o Polenisia i Ponsonby, Aukilani. Aliali mai le solosolo manuia, talu mai le tatalaina o le Fale Tusi ia Keresimasi i le tausaga na te'a nei.

Na taunu'u mai i la'ua i Niu Sila i le fa'aiuga o le 1976 ina ua mae'a ni tausaga na la galulue ai i Samoa i Sisifo. O Robert sa pule i le Fale Tusi o Uesele i Apia, a'o Sheena sa faia'oga i le a'oga maualuga a le Ekalesia Metotisi, sa 'auina atu i la'ua i Samoa i galuega I fa'a fesoasoani i lalo o Polokalame a le Ekalesia Metotisi a Ausetalia.

Fai mai a Robert, “Ina ua ma tu'ua Samoa, sa ma manana'o ia maua pea le so'btaga ma tagata o Samoa, ma ua aliali mai, o Aukilani le iioloaga”J Ao galue o ia o se ali'i pule i le "Tale Tusi i Apia, sa ia taliaina ni tusi molimana'o mai Niu Sila mo ni tusi i le gagana Samoa, fai mai a ia, “Ua aliali mai ai le fia maua mana'omia o ni tusi e ) lolomiina i gagana a) Polenisia”. I le taunu'u mai, sa sa'ili ma imaua ai le fale fogagale lua i le Three Lamps, fai mai a Robert, “O le fale tusi, o le fale mo tagata 'unp, ma te manana'o ia fa'apitoa lava mo

tusi e tusia ma fa'atatau i tagata Polenisia. le vaega fa'apitoa ile Togafale aluga, e fa'apitoa mo tusi ma nisi tusitusiga e fesoasoani mo le a'oa'oina o le fa'aperetania na ose gagana lona lua.

O Nusi Pepa mai le Pasefika e aofia ai le MANA, Samoa, Toga ma le Atu Kuki, ua avea ma auala e tosina maia tagata i le fogafale a lalo o le Fale Tusi, ma o lo'o alumia fo'i ia tusi ata, Tusi Pa'ia ma Tusi Pese i so'o se gagana.

O lo'o iai le fa'amoemoe ia Robert ma Sheena ia mafai ona la lomia ni tusi i lo la'ua : lava aia tatau pe a fa'atagaina, ma ua mae'a ona fa'amautuina se fa'a feagaiga mo le lolomi ina o tusi mai le 1 lunivesite o le Pasefika i Saute, fai mai fo'i a ia, “Afai e iai ni tusi ua le toe maua nei i ni lomiga, 6 le a ma taumafai ina ia toe lolomi ina ia tusi. O Robert cf se fa'atonu agava'a i Nusipepa (Editor) ma o lo'o fesoasoani i le tau fa'amae'a ona tusia le tusi ta'uta'ua a Samoa o le Tala o le Vavau, ma o lo'o galulue fo'i mo le fa'amae'aina o tusi e fa'aaogaina mo a'oga i Samoa’ o le Social Studies.

Fai mai le ali'i o Robert, “E matua mo'omia tele se fale e lolomi ma fa'atau ai tusi mo 1 tagata Polenisia, ma 'ou te talitonu o le a fa'ataunu'uina lava lea fa'amoemoe.

Australians Robert and Sheena Holding, proprietors of the Polynesian Bookshop in Ponsonby, have been overwhelmed by the interest in their venture since! they opened their shop last Christmas. They canto to New Zealand late in 1976 after working for many years in Western Samoa. Robert was manager of the Wssley Bookshop inj Apia, and Sheena worked as a teacher at the Methodist High School. Both came to Samoa as volunteers under an Australian Methodist Church) programme.

“When we left Samoa, we wanted to keep contact with the Samoan people,” says Robert. “Auckland seemed the obvious place.” As a bookshop manager in Apia, he received numerous 1 requests for material in Sa-/ moan, from New Zealahd. “It was obvious that there was aS need in New Zealand fdtVi publications in Polynesianj languages,” he says. On arrival they sought suitable premises and settled for a shop and upstairs rooms in Three Lamps. “The shop is for the whole community,” says Robert, “but we want to

specialize in books for, by ano about Polynesians.” A special section upstairs specializes in books and other materials for learning English as a second language. Pacific Island newspapers, including Mana Samoan Tongan and Cook Island papers, have proved one of the main attractions downstairs in the main bookshop. But Polynesian language hymn books, bibles and literature have also proved popular. Robert and Sheena hope to become publishers in their own right, and have already secured the agency for publications form the University of the South Pacific. “Where books have gone out of print, we hope to republish them ourselves,” says Robert. He is himself an experienced editor and helped to produce the popular “Myths and Legends of Samoa.”

With Sheena, he is currently) producing a social studies kit on Western Samoa for use in schools.

“There is a real need for a. Polynesian bookshop and publishing house here, and we hope to fill that need,” he says.'